SPORTS
Nocona baseball loses 12-2
Nocona baseball played what was probably its last game Tuesday at Breckenridge.
The Indians lost 12-2 in six innings due to run rule against the Buckaroos.
Breckenridge scored three runs in the first inning thanks to two hits, two walks and a dropped third strike. The Buckaroos then scored four runs in the second inning thanks to three hits, one hit batter, one walk and one fielding error.
Breckenridge led 7-0 and Nocona had so far failed to get a base runner. That was broken in the third inning as Charlie Fuller hit a one out single. The Buckaroos added one more run to up their lead to 8-0.
The teams exchanged scoreless fourth and fifth innings. The Indians got some help in the sixth inning as a dropped third strike allowed Fuller to get on. Despite him getting caught trying to steal second base, Carlos Castro was also allowed to get on base thanks to a dropped third strike.
After Trey Pepper drew a walk, Kooper Hansard hit a ground ball to second base that produced an error, allowing Jackson Nunneley, who subbed in for Castro, to score Nocona’s first run.
Two batters later Wesley Murphey hit a groundball that produced another error at second base and Pepper to score, cutting the lead to 8-2.
Breckenridge fired back in its next time at bat. Three hits, three fielding errors and one walk allowed the Buckaroos to score four runs to up their lead to 12-2. This was enough to end the game one inning early due to the run rule.
With only two hits in the game for Nocona, it was not enough to keep up with the Breckenridges bats. The Indians were able to take advantage of the string of errors, but did not have much luck outside of the sixth inning.
Coach Leslie Rinehart thought his team played hard the whole game while limiting the Buckaroos on offense while taking advantage of their mistakes in the sixth inning.
The team was supposed to play at City View on April 23, but inclement weather delayed that game. The plan was to play this Friday, but that game might have also been canceled.
If so, it ends the Indians season with a loss. Nocona did pick up district wins against the Mustangs in the first matchup against Henrietta in an extra innings nail biter the second time around.
The Indians and Rinehart were hoping to turn the programs fortune around this season. Unfortunately, the process might take longer than they would like.
Still, baby steps were made following a lost season that would have been very beneficial for the overall young team this season. Things should only get better even with the team losing three starters to graduation.
Hitting and fielding are the biggest areas in need of improvement heading into the future, but valuable playing time was earned this season.
The Red River High School Bass Club competed this past weekend, May 31 – June 1, at the State Tournament on Lake Conroe for the two-day tournament.
Two of the teams from Montague County traveled south to try their best at the culmination of the year for the state title. Teams were able to pre-fish on Friday before the Saturday and Sunday competition. On Friday, there was a flipping contest for the youth and Cooper Johnson won third overall and won a $500 scholarship and an Academy gift card.
The club’s two teams who competed were Lane Smith/Colt Henry with boat captain Jimmy Smith. The team placed 63rd with a total of 16.22 pounds. The second team of Cooper Johnson/Corbyn Patton and boat captain Jayson Toerck placed 169th with a total weight of 2.29 pounds.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
The Maskat Shrine Oil Bowl is this week on June 6-7 and graduating athletes from Bowie, Nocona and Saint Jo are confirmed to be playing.
In total, seven athletes from Bowie, five from Nocona and three from Saint Jo are planning to play in the all-star games this week. Nocona also will have a pair of coaches participating as well.
The girl’s basketball game kicks off events on June 6, scheduled for 6 p.m. at Wichita Falls Memorial High School. In the game, the east team will have Nocona players Avery Crutsinger, Meg Meekins and Reagan Phipps playing while Kyler Spitzer and Clayton Brown coach them one last time.
On the west team, Saint Jo’s Payzlie Cervantes is confirmed to be playing.
The boy’s basketball game is scheduled to follow at 7:30 p.m. On the east team, Bowie’s Boston Farris and Nocona’s Jose Gomez Jr. will be playing.
On June 7, the volleyball games are scheduled to start at 4 p.m. with the small school game. On the west team, Nocona’s Kaygan Stone and Saint Jo’s Taylor Patrick are confirmed to play. On the east team, Saint Jo’s Aubrey Morman will get to play her teammate.
There are no local athletes confirmed to be playing in the big school volleyball game.
The final event is the football game, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Stadium. It is an all Bowie affair with six players confirmed to be playing for the east team: Justin Clark, Jorge De Leon, Hunter Fluitt and Braden Rhyne, Preacher Chambers and Moh Azouak.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
Nocona Independent School District officials looked inward for a new athletic director/head football coach, selecting Jeff Hill for the position.
Hill, who served last year as Nocona football’s offensive coordinator and also led the softball program to the playoffs for the first time in a while as its head coach, was upgraded to the role.
This came on the heels of former Athletic Director Blake Crutsinger, who served in the role the last four years, resigned in May.
For Hill, the choice to apply for the position was a no brainer. His one year in Nocona had impressed upon him and his wife that it was the place they would like to be long term.
“I’m looking for a town to raise my kids in and Nocona has treated my family really well,” Hill said. “There are some really good people. The kids work hard. Everything I am looking for in a hometown is right here in Nocona and I want to try and make it as best as it can be, especially through athletics.”
Before Nocona, Hill served as the athletic director at S&S Consolidated while also spending time at Hebron and Whitewright in his coaching career.
Hill expresses great respect for the departing Crutsinger and besides changing a few small things in how he personally wants to do things, he is not trying to come in with a sweeping restructuring of the whole athletic department.
The program had five of its six team sports make the playoffs, with volleyball playing in the regional final and the girl’s basketball team winning the state championship.
That along with two athletes competing at the state championship in cross country and track with one earning a gold medal, it was one of the more successful school years in athletic program history.
“Coach Crutsinger was awesome and did a great job so honestly just little tweaks, a little bit of structure and cohesion amongst the coaching staff between boys and girls,” Hill said. “I hope to keep the winning tradition going overall in the athletic department.”
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
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